Mechanical pencil



Sept. 20, .1938.

E. o. RUBEL. l

MECHANICAL PENCIL v"Filed Marn 1'3, 1955 fb VA RD @ffl/BEL AT1-ORNE ioA fMEcHANIoAL PENCIL l 'Eawara .0. Rubel, nehesfe; NJY. Applieatibn March`13, 1935, {Ser-iai -'0.f'10^,870 -2 claims., (ol. 1205-179 "f 'Tpisjjhvention relatesy mfmeehanica1`-penei1s and has* for its 'objecti to provide Va novel feeding mechanism forfsuch'a pencil which operatesftoV fe'edthef-le'ad out of thegpencilby simply'exeri'.-l ing pisiir'e against the lead or the-holder thereof to force the lead and its holder a short distance -intfmthefshaftfgof the pencil-and then'releasing it to allo-Wthe holder of the leadfto return toits normalposition with fan additional length of lead'fo'rced out of the holder. f

Thisfeandr other objectsl of thisinventonjwill beeoine more readily apparentl from the detailed description thereofwhch follows, refereneelbeinghadto the accompanying drawing'lein'which Figure- 1' is a longitudinal sectional view of the pencil and feeding mechanism, the section being taken on the line 'eI-I in Figure 2; e

rligure 2is 'a cross 'section of the 'pencilpthe sf ctiorrl being takenA on the line 2` 2 in -Figure' 1 looking intlfie"direction of the arrow markedv A. J*liligvure is Va cross 'section of thev pencil, Athe section being taken on the line`2 2 in lFigure 1- looking `in `the. direction'lo-f the arrow marked B. 1IFigurelis a longitudinal4 section of the pencil,

i the section being taken on theiine 1 -4 or Fig'- f""Figure `5 isva cross'se'c'tion of y'I'.hepericil; the secti'onbeing" taken on the line 5 5 of Figure 14: 1;: Figure 6::i`s `a longitudinalsectional viewof a modified"formofv the pencil.

*Figure 7 is an enlarged longitudinal'sectional View of the feeding: mechanism portionfof :the pencilfillustrated in Figure l. H nel the; several l `figures of `the drawing` like reference numerals indicatelliketpamts.l

As illustrated in the several figures of the drawingthe hollowfshank I ofthe penilmay vremade intl-.he `conventiorial1form` of mechanical pencils harina @tapered from ;,2 and` a suitable Acap 3f at.Y the.` rear thereof. The latter :iszremovableyto uncover fthe eraser II` -land` is `used tot: provide` a handle forthe `operationof the mechanism ingrenewinggthe leadnthegpencil as will hereinafter bedescribed. f l ;The. feeding mechanism of fthe :pencil includes thetube vor, pencil holder :5 which is :slidably mounted. between. the-tapered Vend `of the; pencil and; fixed epartition, I :thru which ;it;cprojectsrto have` the socketxmemberTI'Ifastenedathereto..::A

s'leever inturnis fastenedlinto the socket einem.-y

be'ra :'I :which sleeve extends thruthe `xed'parti'tion Sfanda .yoke I isformedatthe end thereof in whichlthefspri-ngpressed paWl I-"Igis Ajourn'aled 'i "1A flal'r'rgwi |121 Iisl suitabl'y fastened." to1 the outside ofA the-*sleeve f8 between "the fixed partitions f 6 Aand @and af cmpressionspringM I 3 is interposed between the Lflange I'Zfandfthefixed partition 9 so a`s-to-`no`rmally` force the--sleeve` 8 in the directiontovvard the front of the pencil with the socket ir'iber flrlrestingaganstthe-partition (i` to act as the'stp for` the movement of the sleeve in this ferwarddireetion. t

Within fthesleeve `Il is mounted to slide the feeding rod' I 4 Jwhichcarries the lead holder I5 `.atoneend and isat-tached to the ratchet bar I6 with -its'other end.l The inner end -of thevlead of thepencilengages into r`4the lead holder I5 and the -tube`- surrounds the lead except for the portion 'which isf fed Aout to Aproject therefrom for Writing purposes. t

Behindjthel-fixadpartition 9 Within the shaft Imofthe pencil isxedly `mounted to the shaft the hollow holding-member I1 Whichis provided with an extension I8 `havingja substantially hook shaped'endr |59` formedthereon.I The'sleeve 8 is' surrounded by tthe yoke f20and.-'2IJA. The closed endlof 'thisiyoke passes 4thru the hooked end I9 of the VAhlding intiemberv |11 so' as Vto pivotally rock thereinLlTlfieopposite end of the yoke 'carries thejsprng pressedfpawl -2I whichV `is adapted to engage fthe"riaItchet-t'eethI of `the ratchet bar I6. Intermediate ther end's, the `yoke' 20 is engaged by thes'leeveiby means of'the pin-20A so vthat fas the .ratchet bar `is forced towardftherear of the ofthe shaft of thep'encil a distance substantially equal lto halflthe'length/of one of the ratchet bar teethfso-that Ia length] o'fl lead sfed out of the tube Tas Willheeinafter ,b described.

"Theispring'ff'pessedpawl II at the inner end offt'heftub'e' 8 lengfagesdone ofthe ratchet teeth of the rratche?? bar *so Q that when pressure is applied against the projecting 'end o f the lead; the lead cannot'beffocfedseparately-into the tube 5 but Willfonly lrnovefvvithfthe tube. When the lead and 4tube`is^i"o'rced to move into the shaft of the pencil,` the ,spring-f I3 'is' compressed thereby so that on thereleas'efffth Apressure against the lead and tube this spring acts o-n the sleeve 8 and moves it back with the tube to its starting position. During this return movement of the sleeve the yoke 20 is swinging back toward the front end of the pencil and duringthis movement the pawl 2| thereof forces the ratchet bar ahead o-f it so as to move this bar a greater distance than the sleeve 8 is moved by the spring I3 .and thus forces the feeding rod I4 to push an additional length of the lead out ofthe tube 5. c

The lead may thusbe fedout 4of the tube 5 whenever it is desired by simply forcing "the tube 5 with the lead into the pencil shank and then, releasing it and this may be done until all "of the lead has been used up and forced outof theV sleeve I5 at the end of the feedingrod,-V The sleeve I5 serves as a collet for the Iend o"f"the lead to grip the end thereofgand allow Lit to be forced out thereof when the end of the sleevegw reaches the shoulder 23 and is stopped thereby while the feeding rod forcesthe end of the leadout of the sleeveto make room for the insertion of the end of a new leadpnthe refilling of the., pencil. jlw

The pencil vis refilled bydrawing the feedingY rod I4 toward the rear of. the pencil shaft until it;

but slightly projects into the tube -,5f and the end of the sleeve I5 thereofhas againbeen-imoved forward thereon into the position illustrated in Figure l. The latter is accomplished by therenf gagement of the end of the sleeve I5 with `the washer 24 at the end of the sleeve 8 sothat asl the feeding rodisdrawn back4 into the pencil the;

additional movement of the feeding rod after. the sleeve has been stopped by the Washer-24 draws the end of the feeding rod partially out ofV the sleeve I 5 to again provide a socket fortheinser-V tion of the end of the leadthereinto;A

In order to permit the rearward movement of the feeding rod I 4l and that ofthe ratchetbar I6 to which it is fastened, the ratchet barv is dis-,.

engaged from thegpawls II and 2I `by an axial turn of the ratchet bar of 90 degrees.V Forthis purpose the ratchet bar is held betweenfthejaws' 25 and 26 at theiend of Athesleeve 2 1;(se.el Fig,-`- ure 4) while the sleevelis mounted to turn inthe.

bearing 28. A 909 circumferential slot 29 is prov-j.' vided in the sleeve21into which' engages a suitable key 30 projecting inwardlyof thebearing -28 to hold thevsleeve againstendwisemovement in.

the bearingbut permit the'. quarter turn of'the. sleeve and the ratchet bar necessary'toV move thel ratchetteeth of the ratchet bar; outof engagement with; the pawls II and 2li.` The 'latter are held against turning, .one directly -by the` hold-,

ing `member I1 and the-otherpindirectly. by the engagement `of the hookedshaped end I9 of theA extension I8 of this member intoa suitable :lon-' gitudinal groove 3 I -in the outer wall ofthe sleeve.

8 (see Figure 1).

In giving the sleeve 21 alqvuarter turnthe key..`

30 is brought in line with theylongitudinal slot 32 in the side of the, s leeveso as to permit the sleeve to be moved longitudinally out of the rear of the pencilby means ofthecap 3. During this= movement' of .essere 2`1 the ,ratchet bar i6, and thefeeding rod; I.4 is moved `.with i-t -by the engagement of the jaws,Y 25 and 2. 6behind the'v o .cated at the upper end of annular shulder"33 l the ratchet bar lli.V This shoulder moves toward theijawsas the leadis4 fed out-.of the tube-:so that.

when all the lead has been fed out ,of the tube the` shoulder .33` is located substantially behind the jaws 25 and 2 6. The movementof the sleeve 21, as above described, thus draws-the ra t c he t` `v` bar and the feeding rod with it until they have reached their starting position in which the spring pressed latch 35 snaps behind the shoulder 36 located at the junction of the ratchet bar and feeding rod so as to temporarily prevent a return movement of the ratchet bar and feed rod.

The sleeve 21 is then moved back into the shank of the pencil by the cap 3 Without moving the ratchet bar and feeding rod and after the sleeve has reached its starting position it is given a quarter turn to turn the ratchet bar and move its' teeth back into engagement with the pawls II and 2I and lock the cap 3 onto the shaft I,

With the feed bar moved back to its starting position a new lead is inserted into the tube 5 until its end is forced into the socket sleeve I5 land held inV place therein. The pencil is then ready to be used again. The annular shoulder 36 is provided with a longitudinal slot 31 and this slot 'is/'located so that, when the ratchet bar is turned back to feed the lead, the end of the latch 3,5 can slide therethru past the shoulder and permit the movement of the ratchet bar and feeding rod toward the front of the pencil where before they were held back thereby during the movement of the sleeve 21 back into the pencil Witnthe ratchet teeth of the ratchet bar out of engagement with the pawls I I and 2 I. To hold the sleeve 21 in the position in which the ratchet bar I6 is engaged by the spring pressed pawls II and 2I, -a spring latch 50 yieldingly engages into the s1otj 32until the sleeve is turned by force for the reloading of the pencil in order to cause the latch to slide out therefrom and permit the end- Wisexmovement of the sleeve 2 1 as above de* scribed.

In Figure 6 1 have shown a simplified form of the mechanism in which the relling of the pencil is secured by simply forcing the lead into the tube 4 0 so as to have its end force the feeding rod 4I back into th-e shank of the pencil into the position illustrated inthe figure. the ratchet bar 42 attached thereto and the pawls 43 and 44 operate thereon to feed the lead out of theytube 40 as described in connection with the pencil illustrated in Figures 1 to 4. Before relling,fthe ratchet bar is given a quarter turn to bringgits teeth out of engagement with the pawls 43 `and 44 and this permits the lead inserted into the front of the tube 4U to force the feeding rod 41 and the ratchet 'bar back to their starting position after which the ratchet bar is turned back to have its teeth again engag-ed by the pawls 43 and 44 to operate the ratchet bar as described in connection with Figures 1 to 4.

-1.-"A mechanical pencil comprising a hollow shank, a-sleeve member mounted to reciprocate Within said shank, a ratchet bar projecting from said sleeve-member and movable in and out thereof,1`a' spring pressed holding pawl carried by said sleeve so as to move therewith and engage the tooth lon said ratchet bar to normally keep itV The feeding rod 4I has thejmovementof said sleeve member in onedi- 7l rection by said pencil holder when pressure is applied thereto to force the projecting portion of the pencil holder into the shank so as to move said sleeve member and swing said yoke to cause 5 its feeding ratchet to move over said ratchet bar a distance greater than that of the movement of said sleeve member and said pencil holder and have said feeding pawl engage behind a ratchet tooth at the end of its movement, and spring means for returning said sleeve member and pencil holder to its normal position and cause said yoke to move its feeding pawl again a distance greater than that of the returning sleeve member away from said sleeve member for the insertion of 10 a lead into said lead holder.

EDWARD O. RUBEL. 

